Sudden acceleration incidents are far from unknown in the automotive industry; these are characterized by a vehicle accelerating beyond intentions of the driver. Sudden acceleration may have many causes, ranging from mechanical problems and jams, through electrical problems in “drive-by-wire” systems, to poor human factors design that may lead a driver to place a foot on an accelerator pedal while thinking that the same foot is on the brake. Sudden acceleration can lead to situations that endanger life and limb of driver and passengers, as well as bystanders, spectators, and occupants of other vehicles.
While production vehicle designs are often reviewed by safety engineers and human-factors specialists who consider sudden acceleration among other safety hazards, sudden acceleration incidents still occur despite brakes that can often overpower engines and interlocks that prohibit shifting into gear unless a foot is on the brake. Racing vehicles are particularly subject to sudden acceleration because their safety engineering budgets are often small despite their many customized parts and systems aimed at reaching high speeds, and they may have powerful motors that can overpower brakes. In particular, electric and hybrid racing vehicles designed by teams of students are becoming increasingly common.
A trend in production vehicles has been keyless-start designs. These designs usually have a push-to-start button on their instrument panel. The same button also often serves as a shutdown switch; however it may be necessary to press that switch for several seconds before shutdown occurs. These vehicles are, however, often rented to those who are used to traditional ignition-key systems, and who may not know that, for some cars, a long, steady, push may be required while repeated short pokes are ignored. Some racing vehicles have also been built with “kill switches” or “panic buttons” on the instrument panel to shut off their power systems in emergency conditions, however some drivers do not instinctively reach for those kill-switches in emergencies.